Do you feel editing is a challenge? Do you feel that your next writing project is choppy and overwritten with word vomit? Now is the time to clean out your literary fridge and create cohesive and neat writing that will grab the next reader’s attention.
1. Outline Your Writing
The first thing that helps when organizing your literary fridge is to create an outline. Our thoughts are cluttered and we begin to write so much. Let whatever writing ideas you have spilled onto the page. Then, once your writing vomit is finished, organize the ideas into bullet points, categories, anything that helps separate them and you can process and eliminate which ones you don’t need. This is a great way to stick to a trajectory in writing and let the story shape once it is organized. It’s a good guiding tool and almost like a list to check mark once each step is complete. This can apply to plot, characters, themes and more.
2. Simplicity Goes a Long Way
Many writers feel insecure when it comes to their writing. You may believe using sophisticated words and phrases will make your writing worth the read. However, that is so far from the truth. Writing is something raw and real, through your experience and descriptions. Rely on what you know and you can create something unique. If you attempt to use phrases or words you don’t understand, your writing will become choppy and hard to read. It may be wordy. Simple and direct writing approaches give the best results.
Your literary fridge will become clear and easy to understand. Even when you are foreshadowing or using a metaphor, when you are direct it makes your writing memorable and your readers can avoid having to figure out what you are trying to say. Of course, with writing, we don’t want the meaning of a work to be presented on a platter, but we can give the illusions and other literary tools to help us simply without it being too complex.
3. Use Contractions in Your Literary Fridge
Contractions are a perfect way to save words and time when writing. You want every word to count when stocking your literary fridge. For example, lets say there is a specific word count that you will be using (depending on the type of writing you are doing or guidelines for a submission) then you want to make sure that certain words can be used. That means using contractions such as: we’re, you’re, aren’t, can’t, don’t…
4. Avoid Redundant Words/Phrases in Your Literary Fridge
Sometimes we run out of things to say, and that’s okay. Rather, instead of filling up your writing with redundancies, focus on the quality of the content and get to your point. Redundancies are another reason simplicity and directness are essential in your final writing draft. We as writers don’t want to waste any precious words. Make your voice heard and easy to interpret.
5. Words/Phrases that Reinforce What’s Been Said: Delete
As writers, we tend to use common phrases or words that are cliché or are no longer needed in a work. Sometimes we repeat exactly what we said earlier without even knowing. Have a careful eye and watch out. Really reread sentences that need refining. Whenever you find any of these mishaps, just erase them. Another suggestion when noticing two sentences that are basically repeating what you said, choose the one that sounds better and simplify it. Sometimes we let repetitive phrases, words and jargon clutter our writing. As long as you have conveyed what you feel, then consider yourself finished with this editorial step.
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